Waist belt mounted pouches and holsters have been developed to carry a variety of personal items. For example, personal electronic devices, such as, cell phones, cameras, radios and digital music players are often carried in pouches attached to a user's belt. Law enforcement personnel and first responders routinely carry weapons, ammunition magazines, radios, and other duty equipment in pouches and holsters attached to their duty belts. Carpenters, electricians and other construction works carry tools in pouches attached to utility belts. Typically, these pouches and holsters are supported on a waist belt by passing the belt through one or more belt loops affixed to the back of the pouch or holster. While belt loops can be dimensioned to accept the wide range of belt widths, when used with a smaller width belt, the pouch or holster is prone to shift and tilt on the belt. In many applications, any shift or tilt of a carry pouch is undesirable. Consequently, belt loops must be specifically sized to match the particular belt width in order to securely support the pouches.
The present invention seeks to provide a belt loop array for mounting a pouch or holster to waist belts of three or more different widths. The belt loop array consists of a plurality (five shown) of belt loop straps: a single intermediate strap, a pair of short straps and a pair of long straps, which are sewn or otherwise affixed to the back of a pouch or holster to form belt loops of three different widths. The loop straps are affixed to the pouch or holster in a side by side arrangement with the intermediate strap interposed between the short loop straps and the long loop straps. The smallest width belt for which belt loop array is configured is securely held by only the short loop straps where the smallest width belt passes under all five loop straps. The largest width belt for which belt loop array is configured is securely held by only the long loop straps where the belt passes under long loop straps, but over the short loop straps and the intermediate loop strap. The intermediate width belt for which belt loop array is configured is secured by the single intermediate loop strap centered in the array where the belt passes under the long loop straps and the intermediate loop strap, but over the short loop straps. The arrangement and orientation of the loop straps within the belt loop array prevents the pouch or holster from shifting or tilting about the belt as long as the belt passes under any loop straps that will accommodate that belt width.
The above described features and advantages, as well as others, will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.